Pothole in Ferreira and Piet Retief Street a contentious issue
The two potholes are causing unnecessary traffic congestion due to one lane in each that is not usable.
The potholes in the Ferreira Street circle and Piet Retief Street in Sonheuwel, Mbombela are dangerous to motorists and needs to be fixed.
The circle has two lanes, but only one is useable, causing traffic congestion and a high level of frustration.
The non-profit organisation, We Care 4 Nelspruit, tried to assist by repairing the pothole earlier this year, but the temporary relief has already worn out due to the high volume of traffic on this route.
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One of the residents, Steven Hamilton, said the municipality has a budget to change street names, including that of the same street with the dangerous pothole, but does not seem to have money to fix the road.
“I think they must rather use the money to fix the entire Ferreira Street before changing street names, because it is very difficult to drive in the circle especially during peak times.”
Ward 16 councillor, Kyle Oliver, said the pothole in Piet Retief Street was caused by water that is coming from underground.
Silulumanzi, which is responsible for water and sanitation in the city, is not sure where the water is coming from since they do not have pipes underneath that street.
“The City of Mbombela officials responsible for roads and Silulumamzi visited the site on Friday May 3 to assess the situation.
They promised to come back again on Monday with TLB to dig and ascertain what the problem was, and they will then know how to proceed and fix the problem,” he said.
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The spokesperson for Department of Public Works Roads, Bongani Dhlamini, said the department has already appointed a panel of external service providers which are strategically placed in all districts to rehabilitate the roads, including patching potholes as and when required.
“Over and above, the department has purchased four jet pitching mechanised trucks to fix the potholes. We also have an inhouse team, including call centres that work around the clock to attend to potholes,” he said.
The spokesperson for Silulumanzi, Richmond Jele, was unavailable for comment at the time of going online.
The spokesperson for Silulumanzi, Richmond Jele, was unavailable for comment at the time of going online.
